Shakespeare's Sonnets: Love is my sin, and thy dear virtue hate

Shakespeare's Sonnets: Love is my sin, and thy dear virtue hate

Sonnet 142

Original Text
SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS (London: G. Eld for T. T. and sold by William Aspley, 1609): i2v.
1Love is my sin, and thy dear virtue hate,
2Hate of my sin, grounded on sinful loving.
3O but with mine, compare thou thine own state,
4And thou shalt find it merits not reproving,
5Or if it do, not from those lips of thine
6That have profan'd their scarlet ornaments
7And seal'd false bonds of love as oft as mine,
8Robb'd other's beds' revenues of their rents.
9Be 't lawful I love thee as thou lov'st those
10Whom thine eyes woo as mine importune thee,
11Root pity in thy heart that, when it grows,
12Thy pity may deserve to pitied be.
13    If thou dost seek to have what thou dost hide,
14    By self-example may'st thou be denied.

Notes

1] dear] worthy. Back to Line
4] it] my state. Back to Line
6] scarlet ornaments] lipstick. Back to Line
8] deprived their wed partners of sex as contracted in marriage vows. Back to Line
9] Be 't] Be it Q. Back to Line
14] denied] denied love, sexual pleasure. Back to Line
Publication Start Year
1609
RPO poem Editors
Ian Lancashire
RPO Edition
2008
Rhyme
ababcdcdefefgg
Form
sonnet